Calendar Revised

Last month, in telling about the 1951 summer term Dartmouth is offering for the benefit of students facing military service, we wrote (what was true at the time) that no change was expected in the September 26 opening date for the fall semester. The Committee on Emergency Adjustments has since decided that a respite of only twelve days between the end of the summer term and the beginning of the fall semester is pushing things pretty hard, so the opening of the regular academic year has been moved back one week to October 1. At the same time the calendar for 1951-1952 has been revised in order to create a longer interval between the end of the 1952 spring semester and the beginning of a summer term, should it be decided to hold one next year.

To create these longer intervals at both ends of the calendar, the 1951 Christmas recess has been shortened by one day and the spring recess by five days, and each semester will contain 41 rather than 42 class hours per course. This means a total saving of one week and advances the 1952 Commencement Day from June 15 to June 8.

Prof. Anton A. Raven, co-chairman of the CEA, has emphasized that talk of a 1952 summer term is purely hypothetical. If such a term is scheduled, the calendar revision will provide a 16-day interval between 1952 alumni reunions and a summer session, where only one week is available this year.

In another decision related to this year's extra term, Tuck School and Thayer School announced last month that they would not offer summer sessions along with the College proper. In their cases, Dean Olsen and Dean Kimball pointed out, it would not be feasible to offer such a term on an optional basis. Moreover, a survey has indicated that student interests would be best served by the regular academic calendar.

At this writing, in mid-March, there is no basis for hazarding an estimate of the number of freshmen and upperclassmen who will elect to attend the summer session Among the undergraduates now enrolled there is a natural inclination not to commit themselves until the new draft law defines the status of college students. The number of freshmen entering in July rather than September will not be known until after the Class of 1955 has been selected. The bulk of the class will be notified of admission about April 15, and additional letters of acceptance will be sent out by the Admissions Office early in May.